Seam mechanism for can double seamers



June 8, 1954 W.B. PETERSON, JR., ET AL 2,680,419

SEAM MECHANISM FOR CAN DOUBLE SEAMERS Filed Dec. 24, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 1954 w. B. PETERSON, JR., ET AL 2,680,419

SEAM MECHANISM FOR CAN DOUBLE SEAMERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 24, 1951.

JIQ. 650265 6. K/OfEEQAE INVENTORS' AWTOEA/EV Patented June 8, 19 54 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEAM MECHANISBI FOR CAN DOUBLE SEAMERS Application December 24, 1951, Serial No. 263,051

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates in general to can seaming mechanisms, and is particularly useful on can double seamers in which a can end is applied to a can body by a two-stage seaming operation.

The type of double seamer which the present invention is particularly adapted to be associ ated with is called a can spin machine, in that the can is rapidly rotated in the machine and the seaming operation is performed by the applica tion to the rim of the can end of two seaming rolls which come into place successively to form a seam between the can end and the can in two stages or seaming operations. The can spin machine ordinarily embodies a slowly rotating turret having three or more devices for revolving the l can end and can to perform the double seaming operation. Each of these devices is provided with a seaming chuck to engage the can end from above and fit within the panel thereof while the can body is lifted from beneath to fit into the can end, so that, while the seaming operation is being performed, the can body and can end will be properly related to be united by said operation. The two seaming rolls for performing the two stages in the seaming operation are pivotally mounted on the ends of arms attached to the lower ends of vertical shafts journalled in the turret adjacent each of the can rotating devices, and arms on the upper ends of said shafts follow separate cams, which are approximately concenr trio with the axis of the turret and are stationary, to swing the seaming rolls successively into seaming relation with the can being rotated.

.After a can is received by each of said devices, it is clamped between an elevator below the can and a chuck above the can, rotated by the chuck, subjected successively to the two seaming operations, and discharged from the seamer, all during a single revolution of the turret. The first stage in a double seaming operation is referred to as the curling operation, inasmuch as it termihates with the rim of the can end and the flange of the can body curled downwardly and inwardly together in an interlocking relation. The second stage of double seaming is referred to as the flattening and tightening operation, which term is descriptive of the action of the second seaming roll as it flattens and tightens the interlocked layers of the can end rim and can body flange to form a tight seal between the can body and can end. 1

In general, the can bodies are formed of a single piece of sheet metal rolled into cylindrical form and with its adjacent edges interlocked in a straight seam extending from end to end of the body, and the end edges of this cylinder are then rolled outwardly to form end flanges on the body which interengage with the can ends in the seaming operations by which the two can ends are applied to the can body. The first can end is applied, of course, in forming the open can and the second can end is applied, after the open can has been filled with product, to enclose said product in the can. As the interlocked straight seam of the can body has several layers of the material of the body in overlapping relation, it is substantially thicker than the rest of the can body, and this thickness where the straight seam extends into the can body flanges produces an excessive thickness in the seam formed between the can body and each can end.

In order for the second operation seaming roll to do a good job of flattening the curled seam formed in the first operation, it must be set to operate at a radius which brings it into conflict with the thickened portion of the seam where the roller must pass over the straight can body seam, and it is necessary to resolve this conflict by mounting the second operation roller yield- .ably so that'it Will yield to a greater radius relalabor.

It is an object of the presentinvention to provide in a'double can seamer a means for applying a uniform yieldable pressure to the second operation seaming rolls associated with all the can rotating devices which can be varied by a unitary adjustment.

In the operation of a double seamer, it is necessary from time to time to inspect the curled joints produced by the first operation seaming rolls. Heretofore this hasbeen a difficult and timeconsuming operation, requiring the backing 01f of each of the arms carrying the second operation rollers so as toprevent the latter fromperforming their second seaming operation on the cans which it is desired to run through the machine with only the first seaming operation performed thereon in order that the seams produced thereby might be inspected.

It is another object of the present invention to reduce the labor involved, and the time that the operation of this machine must be interrupted in order to accomplish the removal from a double seamer of a desired number of cans after the first'seaming operation has been performed on these and without the second or flattening seaming operation having been performed.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects, as well as further objects and advantages, will be made manifest in thefollowing description taken in connection with the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, side elevational view of a double can seamer in which is incorporated a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of Fig. 1, taken on the line 22 thereof.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on I vention, the cam follower rollers of the can seamer being illustrated in broken lines in this view.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 4, and illustrates said second operation control cam in retracted position to render the second operation seaming rolls inoperative while a sample set of cans subjected only to the first seaming operation is processed and removed from the machine.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional detail view, taken on the line 65 of Fig. 4 and illustrating the cam retracting eccentric of the invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail View, taken on the line 1-7 of Fig. 7 and illustrating the means for uniformly applying a yieldable pressure to the second operation seaming rolls and the unitary means for adjusting said pressure.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed sectional view, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4 and illustrates the pivotal mounting of the yieldable, retractable cam for controlling the second seaming operation.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view, taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6, and looking upwardly.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the invention is there shown as incorporated with a can double seamer [5. The construction of this general type'of machine being well-known in the art, only those portions of the machine with which the invention is directly associated are illustrated in the drawings.

The double seamer l5 operates in accordance with the mode of operation described in the preamble of this specification and includes, of course, a stationary frame on which is fixed a stationary vertical shaft l6 about which a turret l'l rotates at a relatively low speed. This turret is connected by a tube I8, concentric with the shaft l6, with a table 19 which is also concentric with the shaft [6, and which carries a series of elevators which individually receive cans and elevate them into operative relation with the turret I I and then withdraw downwardly to discharge said cans at the conclusion of each revolution of the turret about the shaft l6.

Mounted on the turret ii is a series of can holding and rotating devices which are equal in number to and vertically aligned with the ele- 26 thereabove, rotation of the latter is imparted tothe can end and can. The upper element of each elevator being freely rotatable on the same vertical axis with the chuck 26 disposed thereabove, the can is caused to spin rapidly with the chuck 26.

Provided in the turret ll adjacent each of the chucks 26 is a pair of vertical bores 30 fitted at their upperand lower ends with bearing sleeves 35, in which sleeves shafts 32 are journalled.

The upper end 33 of each of these shafts is turned down and threaded to receive a nut 34. Fixed on the lower ends of the shafts 32 are arms 35 and 36, carrying seaming rolls 3! and 38, respectively. The first of these rolls forms the curling or first seaming operation; the second of these rolls forms the flattening or second seaming operation. Mounted on the upper ends of the shafts 32 (carrying seaming rolls 3]) are arms carrying cam follower rollers M which are disposed at a relatively high level on said arms. Mounted on the upper ends of the shafts 32 (carrying seaming rolls 33) are arms 42 carrying cam follower rollers 53 which are disposed at a relatively low level on said arms.

As may be noted in Fig. 2, each arm 40 has a finger Mi which extends toward a next adjacent arm 42 while that arm 42 has a finger 45 which is spaced from said finger 44 so that an expansion spring it placed between these fingers expands against the same and is held in assembled relation therewith by studs 41 extending from said fingers into the ends of said spring.

The action of the springs 46 is to rotate the shafts 32 to maintain the rollers 4| and 43 in rolling contact, respectively, with upper and lower cams 5c and 51 which are provided on a stationary cam plate 52 which is mounted on shaft 1 6 and is non-rotatably secured thereto by a key 53 (Figs. 4, 6 and '7).

The upper cam 53 includes a low section 54 and a high section 55, the low section 54 being substantially concentric with the shaft 16, while the radius of section 55 increases slightly in an anti-clockwise direction between one end and the other end thereof. As the cam is followed by rollers 4!, this cam controls the swinging of the curling or first seaming operation rolls 3? into seaming relation with a can being rotated by the adjacent chuck 26. It will thus be noted that each seaming roll 3! will be withdrawn from active engagement with said can, while its roller Al is following low section 54 of cam 56, and will be shifted into seaming relation with said can as said roller 4i travels from cam section 54 onto cam section 55. The slight increase in height of the section as the roller 41 thus progresses along this cam section merely shifts the seaming roll 3! further inwardly as is necessary with the progress in the first seaming operation performed by said roll.

Cam 5| includes a concentric low section .60 and a substantially con entric high section 6!, the radius of which increases slightly in a counterclockwise direction.

Owing to the fact that cam follower rollers 43 follow cam 5|, this cam controlsthe shifting of flattening or second seaming operation rolls 38 into seaming engagement with the cans being spun by the adjacent chucks 26. While each roller 43 is traveling over the low section 60 of cam 5|, the corresponding seaming roll 38 is withheld in spaced relation with its chuck 26; while the travel of said roller 43 onto section 6| of said cam swings said roll 38 into engagement with the curled or partly formed seam on the can being spun by said chuck so as to flatten and complete said seam.

As previously pointed out, it is necessary in performing the second seaming operation to provide an opportunity for each such seaming roll 38 to' yield away from its chuck 26 during said second seaming operation whenever the thickened portion of this seam produced by an end portion of the straight can body seam, which is necessarily incorporated in each of the annular end seams, comes between said chuck 26 and said seaming roll 38. In the present invention, this opportunity is provided by yieldably mounting the cam section 5| of the cam 5|. This mounting is accomplished in the following manner:

Cam section 6| is formed as a separate element from the cam plate 52, while the balance of cams 50 and 5| are integral with said cam plate. To facilitate said mounting, cam plate 52 is provided with a boss 62 (Fig. 8) having a bore 83 and a count-erbore 64'at its lower end. This boss also has a pin hole 65. Formed on the cam section 6| is a hub 66 (Fig. 8) having a bore 61 of the same diameter as bore 84. A headed pivot pin 88 rotatably fits and extends through the bore -61 and into the bore 54. This pin has a hole 69 therein which is adapted to be aligned with the hole 65 in the boss 62 so that a pin 70 may be driven into the holes 65 and 69 to prevent rotation of the pivot pin 68 in the bore 64. The pin 68 has a tapped central hole I! into which a cap screw '12 is adapted to be screwed after this screw has been inserted downwardly through the bore 83 (Fig. 8).

The cam plate 52 also has a boss 15 (Fig. 6) which is bored to receive a bearing sleeve 16, which rotatably receives a heavy short shaft 1'! having an annular groove 78 cut therein, a hexing into a suitable tapped hole 88 provided in said boss. The head of screw 81 forms a stop for the pin 80 (Fig. 4) with the shaft 17 in one position, while a second screw 89 is screwed into a suitable tapped hole provided therefor in the boss iii to form a stop for the pin 80 (Fig. 5) when the shaft 11 has been turned to an opposite operating position.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 7, the cam plate 52 has a hub 90 having a horizontal tapped hole 9| (Fig. '7) in which a screw 92 is screwed, the head of said screw acting to retain one end of a coiled compression spring 33 in place against a face 94 of said hub 90. The cam section 6| also has a boss 95 which is disposed in parallel spaced relation with said face 94. Screwed into a threaded hole 95 in the boss .95, which hole is in alignment with the hole 9|, is a spring adjust ing screw 91 having a head 98 against which the opposite end of said spring rests, this head having a boss 99 formed thereon which extends into said spring and, acting together with screw 92, retains this spring in place. The screw 91 is retained in its adjusted position by an Allen screw I which is screwed into a suitable tapped hole provided in the cam section boss 95.

Operation From the foregoing description, it is manifest that the cam section 6| is adapted to swing about the pin 68, and that, when the eccentric shaft 8| is positioned as shown in Fig. 6, the spring 93 yieldably holds cam section 6| in its outermost position in which the sleeve 82 is pressed outwardly against the eccentric 8| (Fig. 6). The outer portion of sleeve 82 is spaced from the eccentric 8|, however, indicating that the cam section 6| is free to yieldinwardly a substantial distance when the pressure of any roller 43 against this cam section is sufficient to overcome the tension of the spring 93 as when the flattening seamin r011 38 connected with this cam follower roller 43 passes over a thickened portion of the annular seam it is operating upon. As clearly shown in Fig. '7, the screw head 98 is provided with radial holes H15 into which a rod may be inserted to rotate this screw and thus adjust the pressure imposed outwardly by the spring 93 against the cam section 6| and which must be overcome by the inward pressure thereagainst of a cam follower roller 43 in order to swing said cam section 6| inwardly about its pivot pin 68. 1

When one of the cam follower rolls 43 first rides onto the cam section 6!, as shown at the upper right corner of Fig. 4, the flattenin seaming roll 38 associated with said roller 43 is not swung far enough inwardly against the seam being formed to require relief when passing over an excessively thickened portion of the seam. As the roller 43 advances in a counterclockwise direction along the outer surface of cam section 6|, however, theincreasing radius of this cam section forces the corresponding second seaming operation roll 38 further inwardly towards the chuck 26 holdin the can being worked upon. Thus, towards the conclusion of the second seaming operation, when roller 43 has come opposite the highest portion of the cam section 6| at the left end of the same, as shown in Fig. 4; the arrival of the corresponding seaming roll 38 opposite the excessively thickened portion of the seam being worked on will make it necessary for this. roll 3B'to yield in order to pass over said excessively thickened seam portion to avoid damaging either the machine or the can. This relief is provided in the present invention by placing the sprin 93 opposite the left-end of cam section 6| where the latter has its greatest radius from the axis of shaft Hi.

It is thus seen that the present invention provides a way of applying substantially the same pressure against each seam through each seaming roll 38 in the second seaming operation throughout the entire length of said seam, and when said roll comes opposite the excessively thickened portion of the seam, at a time when this roll is applying its final flattening compres sion to the same, spring .93 permits this roll to yield and pass over said thickened portion with out damage either to the can or to the machine. It is also to be noted that any changes found :aosonrc .necessaryin this pressuremaytbe accomplished bya single adjustmentof .-a unitary adjusting means-thereby eliminating the necessity formerly met with of separately adjusting the relief to an inoperative position, in which it is shown in Fig. 5, thereby rendering the flattening second seaming operation rolls 38 inoperative to accomplish the second seaming operation so that cans discharged from the machine while the cam section 6| is so retracted will merely have the curling or first seaming operation performed thereon, thereby permitting the inspection of this group of cans to determine whether or not the first or curling seaming operation is being satisfactorily accomplished.

The retraction of the cam section 6! is readily accomplished simply by applying a wrench to the hex-head 19 of the eccentric shaft Ti and rotating this from the position in which it is shown in Figs. Land 6 to the position in which it is shown i in Fig. 5. When so rotated, the .eccentrio'fll operates on the sleeve 82 to swing the cam section 6| about its pivot pin 88 and shift said cam section into a retracted position, in which it is shown in Fig. 5, where it is seen that the left end of this cam section is disposed at a substantially lower radius than the right end portion of said cam section. It is thus clear that in its retracted position shown in Fig. the cam section Bl renders the second operation seaming rolls 38 inoperative toflatten the seams which were partially formed in the curling stage or first seaming operation by rolls 31.

After a suitable number of cans have been passed through the machine to provide the neoessary-check on the manner in which the first .seaming operation is being performed, a wrench mayagain be applied to the head'19 of the eccentric shaft 1? and the latter quickly returned to its normal position shown in Fig. 4, which will restore cam section 6! to its outward operative position thereby causing the flattening seaming rolls 38 to resume their performance of thesecond seaming operation on cans passing through the can double seamer I5.

What is claimed is:

-1. In a can seamer, the combination of: a frame; a turret rotatable on said frame; a series of circumferentially spaced can holding and rotating devices mounted onsaid turret; a series of seaming rolls one of which is associated with each of said devices; means on said turret for pivotally mounting each of said rolls in shiftable relation with-a can held in the device with which said roll is associated; a cam on said frame engaged by said roll mounting means, as said turret rotates, to shift said rolls successively into seam forming relation with said cans; means on said framev forming a pivot for-said cam adjacent one endthereof to permit said "cam 'to :swing away from said roll mounting means intoran inoperative position relative to the latter; a rotarycontrol member pivotally mounted onsaid frame; an eccentric provided on said memberand positionedrelative to said cam to be engagediby'the latter to limit the swinging. of said. cam. about. its pivotal mounting towards said rollenmounting means; stops limiting rotation :of said control member betweentwc positions .xtin the i-first of which .said eccentric perm-its I said cam :to be swung into: an operative position relative to said roll mounting means, said eccentric, in moving to the second of said positions, shifting said cam from said operative'position to said inoperative position; and spring means constantly pressing said cam against said eccentric.

2. A combination as in claim 1 including means for adjustably-varying the pressure applied by said spring means to said cam.

-3.- In :a can seamer, the combination of -a frame; a turret rotatable on said frame;-a series of circumferentially-spaced can holding and rotating devices mounted on said turret; a series of freely rotatable seaming rolls, one of whichsis associated with each of said devices; means on said turret for mounting each of said rolls in shiftable relation with a can held in the device with which said roll is associated; a cam shiftably mounted on said frame for movement between an operative position, in which said cam is engaged by said roll mounting means as said turret rotates thereby shifting said rolls successively into seam forming relation with said cans and an inoperative position in which said rolls are not so actuated by said cam; resilient means applying pressure tosaid cam urging said cam towards said roll mounting means; a stop engaged by said cam, thereby halting the movement of said cam. in. response to said resilient means when said cam reaches said operative position; and a control member rotatably mounted on said frame and having saidstop-eccentrically mounted thereon whereby a partial rotation of said control member will retract said cam from its operative position to its inoperative position, and whereby a reverse partial rotation of said member will return said cam from its inoperative position to its operative position.

4. In a can seamer, the combination: a frame, a turret rotatable on said frame; a series of circumferentially spaced can holding and rotating devices mounted on said turret; a seriesof freely rotatable seaming rolls, one of which is'associated with each of said devices; means .on said turret for mounting each of said rolls in shiftable relation with a can held in the device with which said roll .is associated; a cam shiftably mounted on said frame for movementbetween an operative position, in which said cam is engaged by said roll mounting means as said turret rotates thereby shifting said rolls successively into seam. forming relation with said cans, and an inoperative position inwhich said rolls are not so actuated by said cam; and quick throw meansincluding an eccentric for controlling the shifting of said cam between said two positions,

said last-mentioned means being movable in one direction with a short, quick movement for placing said cam in said operative position and being reversibly movable with a short, quick movement to shift said cam from said operative position-to said inoperative position, whereby said cammay .be' temporarily rendered inoperative during the passage of a limited number of cans through said seamer for the purpose of testing the functioning of other parts of said seamer after which said cam may immediately be returned to said operative position for the resumption of the performance of said seaming operation thereby on cans passing through said seamer.

5. In a can seamer, the combination of: a rotary turret; aseries of circumferentially spaced can holding and rotating devices mounted on said turret; a series of seaming rolls one of which'is associated with each of said devices; means on said turret for pivotally mounting each of said rolls in shiftable relation with a can held in the device with which said roll is associated; a cam engaged by said roll mounting means as said turret rotates to shift said rolls successively into seam forming relation with said cans; means for shiftably mounting said cam; resilient means applied to said cam and pressing the latter yieldably towards a precise position'in which said cam is operatively related to said roll mounting means for engagement thereby as aforesaid; a control member positioned to positively limit the movement of said cam in response to the pressure of said resilient means towards said roll mounting means, to said precise operative position; means including an eccentric for quickly shifting said control member to retract said cam against the pressure of said resilient means to an inoperative position relative to said roll mounting means, and for thereafter reversely shifting said control member with equal facility to release said cam from said retracted position and allow said cam to return under the pressure of said resilient 1 means to said precise operative position; a pair of stops limiting the shifting of said control member between two positions, in the first of which said control member is positioned to limit movement of said cam to its precise operative position aforesaid, the other position of said control member being reached when it has been shifted to retract said cam out of said operative position; and means for adjustably varying the force applied by said resilient means to said cam when the latter is in its operative position and with which said resilient means resists depression of said cam by said roll mounting means.

6. In a can double seamer, the combination of: a rotary turret; a series of circumferentially spaced can holding and rotating devices mounted on said turret; a series of curl seaming rolls one of which is associated with each of said devices; means on said turret for pivotally mounting each of said curling rolls in shiftable relation with a can end held in the device with which said roll is associated; a cam engaged by said curling roll mounting means as said turret rotates to shift said curling rolls into seam curling relation with said cans; a series of seam flattening rolls one of which is associated with each of said devices; means on said turret for pivotally mounting each of said flattening rolls in shiftable relation with a can held in the device with which said flattening roll is associated; a cam engaged by said flattening roll mounting means as said turret rotates to shift said flattening rolls successively into seam flattening relation with said cans, the latter operation following said seam curling oper-' ation; and quickly operable eccentric means for temporarily retracting said flattening cam a precise distance whereby said cam will not cause said flattening rolls to perform said seam fiattening operation and cans passed through said seamer will be subjected to said seam curling operation alone, said eccentric means being quickly operable to return said flattening cam precisely to its original operative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

